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Patented J une 3, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET L.

W. 1. MOORE.

SELF PHOPELLED noaa PLANER.

APFLICATION FiLED AUG. 5. AISH 7.

amm n c.

SELF` PBOPELLED FLOOR PLANER.

APPLlcAVTloN FILED Aue.15. 1911.

.Ptented June 3, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FIGB.

WILLIAM J'. MOORE, OF PLAIN FIELD, NEIN JERSEY, ASSIGN OR TO CHARLES N. 'JII-IOltliT,V ARTHUR IVI. WATKINS, WILLIAM E. BEWLEY, AND WILLIAM J'. MOORE, PARTNERS. i

SELF-PROPELLED FLOOR-PLANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 3, 1919.

Application filed August 15, 1917. Serial No. 186,283.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, IILLIAM J. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Plainfield, county of Union, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self Propelled Floor-Planers, of which the following' is. a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to a type of floor-planer adapted to be used for planing wooden floors, ship decks or similar flat surfaces over which the machine is adapted to be propelled. Preferably a rotary cutter head is employed and adapted to be rotated at high speed to plane the surface, the cutter head being of the usual type employed in planing machines.

One object of my improved machine, is toy provide means for readily throwing the cutter head into and out of Contact Vwith the floor surface without disturbing the relations between the cutter and the motor drive. Another object is to utilize the same motor which drives the cutter head as a means for -propelling, the planer over the floor. This is accomplished by introducing zqear connections between the motor and the drive orpropelling wheels adapted to reduce the speed whereby the planer is propelled over the floer at the most efficient 'speed for planing with this type of cutter head. A suitable clutch isV preferably installed in the connections between the motor and the propellingv wheels Vwhereby the latter be connected and disconnected at the will of the operator.

It is necessary'that a machine of this char acter should be capable of being steered or turned about over the surface beingoperated upon. For this purpose, I preferably mount the drive or propelling wheels in such a ma nner= that they may be turned for steering the planer. Y Y

In attaining' these objects, I have produced a floor-planer which is highly efficient and adapted for high speed operationand can readily be manipulated to cover the surface beingplaned.

One form of my improved self-propelled floor planer is shownk in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine: Fig. 3 is a plan view with the upper portion of the machine removed on section line 8 3 of F ig. 5; Fig.

a sectional detail of the gib adjustment for Y the dovetail slide and Fig. 9 is a separate view of the drive wheels and steering; connections, the section being taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the main frame of the machine which may be of any suitable forni or construction, but preferably is a hollow box-like casting open on the lower side and closed on the top side. An electric motor 2 is Preferably mounted on top of the framel and secured thereto by suitable bolts 3. The motor shaft l is provided at one end with a sprocket wheel 5 secured thereto. A similar sprocket wheel 6 is secured near one end of a shaft 7 extending transversely of the main frame 1 and revolubly mounted therein. A suitable sprocket chain 8 connects the motor shaft 4 with the shaft 7 so that the latter will be driven at the speed of the motor. Each end of the shaft 7 is provided with pulley wheels 9 over which belts 10 pass for driving' the cutter head. The cutter head 11 vis mounted at the front end of the machine and the cutter head shaft 12 is provided with small pulleys 13 at each end thereof over which the belts 10 are adapted to pass, the relation between the pulleys 9 and 13 preferably beingsuch that the cutter head 11 will rotate at a speed several times greater than the speed of the motor. Obviously the proportions between the pulleys and sprocket connections with the motor msv be varied to give any desired relations as to speed.

It has Vbeen found desirable to` provide means for adjusting the position of the cutter head 11 with respect to the fraiue 1 and the floor or other surface to be planed. To accomplish this, the main frame 1, at the front end thereof, is' preferably providedV with a ledge or extension 14, the outer face of which is planed off and provided with two vertical T slots 15 (see Figs. 6 and 7). A bracket member 16 is mounted on the face of the ledge 14 and held in place by T-bolts 17 and 18. The bracket member 16 is provided with forwardly projecting arms 1f) provided with bosses 2O bored out to form bearings for the cutter head shaft 12. The T-bolts 17 and 18 are preferably of special construction as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7. The head of the upper bolt 17 is preferably bored out and threaded to take the threads of a bolt 21 while the lower T-bolt 18 is bored out smooth for the passage of the lower end of the bolt 21, the latter being provided with a head 22 adapted to engage the lower face of the T-slot ledge 14. A washer 23 engages the upper surface of the ledge 14 and the bolt is held in place in the T slot by a suitable nut 24 which is preferably pinned to the bolt 21 as indicated at 25. By this arrangement, it will be seen that when the nuts on the T-bolts 17 and 18 are loosened, the cutter head bracket 16 can be shifted up or down with relation to the main frame 1 by turning the bolts 21 with a wrench applied to the nuts 24. In this adjustment, the threaded T-bolt 17 will be forced to move up or down in the T-slot, since the bolt 21 is relatively fixed in position, the lower T-bolt 18 merely sliding on the bolt 21. After an adjustment has been made, the nuts on the bolts 17 and 18 can be turned up to solidly clamp the bracket to the ledge 14.

In order that the belts 10, for driving the cutter head 11, may be tightened, I preferably provide at each side of the machine a swinging 26 pivoted at 27 to the side wall of the main frame of the machine and provided at its forward or free end with an idler pulley 28 adapted to engage the upper surface of the belt 10 substan-tially as in,- dicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. A slotted lug 29 preferably extends laterally from the arm 26 and a bolt 30 passes through the slot, the nut thereof being adapted to clamp the arm 26 in its adjusted position. Two of these idler pulley arms 26 are provided, one for each of the belts 10 as will be seen in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

The front end of the floor-planer is preferably mounted upon and supported by a pair of wheels 31 carried upon a shaft 32 having bearings in the side walls of the main frame 1 substantially as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The rear portion of the machine is supported by a. pair of wheels which are preferably propelling or driving wheels which may be connected to the motor in any suitable or preferred manner. In the present instance, the shaft 7 which as previously explained, is driven at the same speed as the motor, is provided with a gear pinion 33 secured thereto inside of the frame 1 substantially as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The pinion 33 meshes with ay large gear 34 loosely mounted upon a shaft or rod 35 mounted transversely of the main frame 1 of the machine. The gear 34 is provided with a laterally extending hub upon which a sprocket pinion 36 is secured. A sprocket chain 37 passes over the sprocket pinion 36 and over a large sprocket gear 38 revolubly mounted upon a shaft 39 pivoted in the side walls of the main frame 1 near the forward end thereof above the front wheels (see Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings). The shaft 39 is revolubly mounted in suitable bearings in the side walls of the frame 1 and has keyed thereto a clutch cone 40 adapted to engage a cone socket in the hub 41 of the sprocket gear 38. It will be understood 4that the cone member 40, while keyed to the shaft 39, is slidable longitudinally thereon in order that the clutch may be engaged and disengaged. A fork 42 provided with the usual lugs or pins for engaging an annular groove in the. cone member 40 is provided and secured to a rock shaft 43 extending longitudinally of the main frame 1 and pivotally mounted therein substantiallv as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings. The rear end of the rod or rock shaft 43 is preferably provided with an upstanding rock arm or hand lever 44 keyed to the shaft 43 so that the latter may be. rocked at will by the operator to throw the clutch in and out and thereby connect and disconnect the .driving wheels from the motor. The shaft 39 is also provided with a sprocket pinion 45, secured thereto, over which a sprocket chain 46 passes. The

sprocket chain 46 also extends over a large.

sprocket gear 47 revolubly mounted upon the fixed rod or sha-ft 35 upon which the gear 34 revolves. The sprocket wheel 47 is preferably provided with a laterally extending hub or sleeve 48 extending through and having bearing in the main frame 1 and provided at its outer end, which projects through the wall of the frame 1 with a sprocket pinion 49 secured thereto and connectedby means of a sprocket chain 50 with a similar pinion 51 substantially as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings.

The sprocket pinion 51 is secured to a shaft 52 pivotally mounted at the rear of the machine in bearings 53 and projecting upward from a knee bracket 55 slidably mounted upon the rear wall of the main frame 1. The bearing 54 is located substantially at the middle of the machine and the shaft 52 is provided with a pair of oppositely faced bevel or miter gears 56 and 57 secured thereto. rllhe gears 56 and 57 arel on opposite sides of the bearing 54 and are adapted to engage respectively similar miter gears 58 and 59, each secured to the upper end of a short vertically extending shaft. The two vertically extending shafts 60 and 61 extend through bearings in the shelf portion 62 of the knee bracket and have secured to their lower ends the miter gears 63 and 641 respectively, adapted to mesh with corresponding miter gears 65 and 66 secured respectively to the drive or propelling wheels 67 and 68 which it will be understood act as a support for the rear portion of the floor planer and are adapted to propel it over the floor.

In order that the floor planer may be steered, any suitable steering mechanism may be employed, but preferably, the drive wheels 67 and 68 are mounted upon shafts 69 and 70 rotatably supported in forks or yokes 71 and 72 pivotally mounted upon the respective shafts 60 andV 61, which as previously explained, carry the miter gears through which power is transmitted from the motor to the driving wheels. IIhe yokes or forks 71 and 72 have bearing bosses 73 and 74 engaging bearing surfaces on the lower side of the shelf portion 62 of the rear slide bracket 55 as will be seen in Figs. l and 5 of the drawings. Each of the forks 71 and 72 is preferably provided with a rearwardly projecting lug 75 and 76 respectively, which are connected together by a transversely extending link or bar 77, so that both forksmay be moved simultaneously as is required for steering. A steeringV rod 78 is preferably pivoted by means of a stud bolt 79 to the underside of the shelf portion 62 of the knee bracket (see Fig. 5). 'IheV steering rod 78 extends rearward and up ward and is preferably provided with a pair of handles80 which may be gripped by the hands of the operator for steering the Hoor planer when in operation. An eye bolt 81 is attached to the steering rod 78 and passes through a hole in the bar 77 being held in place by a suitable nut 82, the arrangement being such that by rocking the steering rod 78 laterally, the bar 77 will be moved and thelatter through its connection with the Vlugs 75 and 76 of the steering forks will turn the steering and driving wheels 67 and 68 for steering the floor planer overthe surface being planed.

' It will be observed that the entire machine is supported upon the two pairs of wheels, the rear wheels being propelling as well as steering wheels. cated back of the cutter head 11 as indicated in the drawings `(see Fig. 5) and obviously, if the main frame of the machine is rocked about the front wheels as a fulcrum, the cutter head can be raised or lowered with respect to the surface being planed. It is desirable to do this without disturbing the adjusted relations between the cutter head and the motor drive and to do it quickly. In order that thisV may be accomplished satisfactorily, the knee bracket 55, which aspreviously explained, forms the bearing support for the steering and drive wheel mechanism is slidably mounted upon the rear wall of the main frame 1 of the machine by a dove- ,the dovetail slide.

The front wheels 81 are lo-.

tail slide 88 substantially as indicated inY adapted to be moved longitudinally of the Y dovetail in order to take up lost motion between the parts. The gib 811 is preferably adjustable by means of a screw 85 taking into a threaded hole 86V in the knee bracket 55 substantialy as indicated in the detailed section shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. Lock nuts 87 are provided for holding the gib in adjusted position. The relation between the knee bracket 55 and the rear portion of the main frame 1 is regulated by sliding the knee bracket up and down in This is preferably accomplished by a screw 88 provided with coarse or long pitch threads at 89 taking into a threaded hole 90 in the knee member 55 as indicated in F ig. 5 of the drawings. Y

A lug 91 preferably extends rearward .from the middle of the main frame 1 and is bored out to permit the upper portion 92 of the screw 88 to pass therethrough, the portion 92 being preferably slightly larger in diameter as indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The upper end of the screw 88 is provided with a star or hand wheel 98 pinned to the screw so that the latter may be turned to raise or lower the main frame with respect to the knee bracket 55. A suitable collar 9;1 is secured to the screw below the bearing lug` 91 for the purpose of maintaining the screw 88 in proper position and permitting the screw to remain stationary while the knee bracket 55 is made to slide up and down in the dovetail in the manner indicated. VBy having long pitch threads on the screw 88, itY will be understood that the adjustment may be quickly made by turning the hand wheel 98. Obviously, if desired, the hub of the hand wheel may be provided with grad-V uations in the usual manner to serve as an index in adjusting the position of the main frame and hence of the cutter head 11. It will be understood lthat in adjusting the frame 1 with respect to the knee bracket by means of the screw 88, the main frame 1 will be rocked about the front wheels as a fulcrum, thereby raising or lowering the cut- Y sirable, suitable idler take up mechanism may be provided. In order to take up any slack in the drive chains 37 and 46, I preferably provide idler wheels mounted upon suitable rock levers. 'Io take up the slack in the driving chain 37, an idler wheel 95 is pivot` ally mounted upon a lever 96 and adapted to engage the chain 37 substantially as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The lever 96 is preferably pivotally mounted upon the shaft 35 and is bent laterally at 97, and eX- tends through an opening 98 in the side wall of the main frame 1. The lever 96 is again bent to parallel the side of the frame 1 and provided with a slotted lug 99 through which a bolt 100 passes, a nut 101 being provided for clamping Jthe lever in adjusted position.

A similar arrangement is provided for the.

chain 46 as will be seen in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings. An idler wheel 102 is adapted to engage the upper surface of the chain 46 and is rotatably supported upon a lever 103 pivoted on the shaft 39 and bent laterally at 10st to ext-end through an opening 105 in the side wall of the main frame 1. The outer end is bent parallel with the main frame and provided with a similar slotted lug 106, a bolt and nut 107 being provided for clamping the lever 103 in adjusted position.

In operating the machine, it will be understood that the cutter head should be adjusted by means of the screws 21 to rotate at the required angle with relation to the main frame of the machine or parallel with the surface to be planed. Obviously, this ordinarily should place the shaft 12 of the cutter head parallel to the axis of the front wheels. After this adjustment has been made, the slide bracket 16, supporting the cutter head, is clamped in position by tightening the nuts of the T-bolts 17 and 18. When this adjustment has been satisfactorily completed, the belt-s 10 are properly tightened by adjusting the idler pulleys 28 and clamping the arms 26 by means of the bolts 30. Similarly, if there is any slackness in the chains 37 and 16, it may be taken up by adjusting the respective idler' wheels 95 and 102 and clamping the levers 96 and 103 as hereinbefore described.

The rheostat and mot-or control box 108 may be attached to the handle bars 80 by means of suitable bolts or screws 109, as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and a suitable wire or cable connection (not shown) made between the boX and the motor. This connection need not be fully described because it is well known to those skilled in the art.

To start planing, the cutter head is preferably lifted out of contact wit-h the surface by turning the screw 88 by means of the hand or star wheel 93, thereby rocking the main frame about the front wheels as a fulcrum.

In this position, the clutch 40 may be disconnected by means of the handle A and the motor started from the starting box 108. The operator then lowers the cutter head into contact with the surface to be planed, and by means of the star wheel 93 adjusts the depth of cut. The clutch l0 is then closed by means of the handle 44 and the planer will be propelled by the driving or propelling wheels 67 and 68, power being derived from the motor through chain and gear connections hereinbefore described. The planer is steered from the handle 80 through the connection of the steering' rod 78 and the link 77 connecting the yokes 71 and 72, which as previously described, are adapted to turn the driving wheels 67 and 68 for steering the planer.

While I have described one form of my im proved self-propelled floor planer, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the specific details of construction, for obviously, various modifications may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts to obtain the results specified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. l

I claim:

1. In a self propelled floor planer the combination of a body frame, a motor mounted thereon, a pair of wheels support ing said frame near the front end, a rotary cylindrical cutter in front of said wheels and connected to be driven by said motor, a pair of wheels supporting the rear end of the frame, said rear wheels being propelling and steering wheels adapted to be driven by said motor, means for adjusting said body frame relative to said driving wheels thereby rocking said frame on said front wheels to raise and lower said cutter, and a clutch for throwing said driving wheels into and out of gear with said motor.

2. In a self propelled floor planer the combination cf a body frame, a motor mounted thereon, a rotary cutter head mounted on the front end of said frame transversely thereof, connections whereby the cutter head is driven continuously by said motor, a pair of wheels located back of said critter head for supporting the front end of said body frame, a pair of driving wheels supporting the rear end of said frame adapted to be driven by said motor, means for mounting said driven wheels whereby they may be turned for steering, a clutch for throwing said driving wheels into and out of gear with said motor and means for adjusting said body frame relative to said driving wheels, said frame being rocked on the front wheels asa fulcrum thereby raising and lowering said cutter for controlling the depth of cut.

3. In a self propelled floor planer the combination of a body frame, a motor mounted thereon, a cutter head adapted to be continuously driven by said motor, a pair of wheels on a fixed aXle for supporting the front end of said frame, apair of wheels for supporting the rear end of said frame, said rear wheels being driving wheels adapted to be driven by said motor, mea-ns for mounting said driving wheels whereby they may be turned for steering and means for adjusting the rear end of said body frame vertically relative to said propelling wheels thereby rocking said frame about the front wheels as a fulcrum to raise and lower said cutter and to control the depth of out.

4. In a self propelled Hoor planer the combination of a body frame, a motor mounted thereon, a cutter head adapted to be continuously driven by said motor, a pair of wheels on a iXed axle for supporting the front end of said frame, a pair of wheels for supporting the rear end of said frame, said rear wheels being driving' wheels adapted tobe driven by said motor, a fork for each driv ing wheel adapting said wheels to be turned for steering, means for connecting said forks together and to a steering handle, a slide bracket whereon said steering wheels and steering handle are mounted, said bracket being vertically slidable on the end of said body frame and means for adjusting the body frame relative to said bracket.

5. In a self propelled floor planer the combination of a body frame, a motor mounted thereon, a cutter head adapted to be continuously driven by said motor, a pair of wheels on a fixed axle for supporting the front end of said frame, a pair of wheels for supporting the rear end of said frame, said rear wheels being driving wheels adapted to be driven by said motor, a fork for each driving wheel adapting said wheels to be turned for steering, means for ,connecting said forks together and to a steering handle, a slide bracket whereon said steering wheels and steering handle are mounted, said bracket being vertically slidable on the end of said body frame and a screw provided with a hand wheel for adjusting the body frame relative to said bracket, whereby said frame is rocked about the front wheels as a fulcrum to regulate the depth of cut of said cutter.

6. In a self propelled floor planer the combination of a body frame, a motor mounted thereon, a cutter head adapted to be continuously driven by said motor, a bearing member mounted for vertical adjustment on the front of said frame and adapted to support said cutter, means permitting said member to be adjusted and fixedly clamped to said frame, a pair of wheels on a fixed axle for supporting the front end of said frame, a pair of wheels for supporting the rear end of said frame, said rear wheels being driving wheels adapted to be driven by said motor, means for mounting said driving wheels whereby they may be turned for steering and means for adjusting the rear end of said body frame vertically relative to said propelling wheels thereby rocking said frame about the front wheels as a fulcrum to raise and lower said cutter and control the depth of cut.

7. In a self propelled floor planer the combination of a body frame, a motor mounted thereon, a pair of wheels mounted in said frame for supporting the front end thereof, a cylindrical cutter rotatably mounted in front of said wheels and adapted to be continuously driven by said motor, a pair of wheels supporting the rear end of said frame, said rear wheels being driving and steering wheels, a slide bracket in which said rear wheels are mounted, means for adjusting the relation of the frame and said bracket, whereby said frame is rocked on the front wheels as a fulcrum to raise and lower said cutter and regulate the depth of cut, means connecting said driving and steering wheels to be driven by said motor while permitting said adjustment and means for simultaneously turning said driving Wheels for steering the planer.

8. In a self propelled ioor planer the combination of a body frame, a motor mounted`thereon, a pair of wheels mounted in said frame for supporting the front end thereof, a cylindrical cutter rotatably mounted in front of said wheels and adapted to be continuously driven by said motor, a bearing member supporting said cutter mounted for vertical adjustment on the front end of said frame, a pair of wheels supporting the rear end of said frame, said rear wheels being driving and steering Wheels, a slide bracket in which said rear wheels are mounted, a hand-wheel screw for adjusting the relation between the frame and said bracket, whereby said frame is rocked on the front wheels as a fulcrum to raise and lower said cutter and regulate the depth of cut, driving connections between the motor and said driving wheels adapted to permit said adjustment between the frame and said bracket, a clutch for connecting and disconnecting said driving wheels with said motor and handle connections for turning said rear wheels for steering the planer.

WILLIAM J. MOORE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 2D. C. 

